Mental illnesses affect millions of Americans of all ages. This month, join Maryvale in observing Mental Health Awareness Month. This month is a time to educate the general public to instill better caretaking values in a widespread way and to validate the experiences of people who are coping with mental illness. This month is also a great time to advocate for policies and systems that provide essential support for people dealing with mental illness and their families.
The Value of Mental Health Awareness
The therapeutic community has observed Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949. Over the years, Mental Health Awareness initiatives have involved outreach, events, and educational programs that demystify common misunderstandings and foster a sense of hope through practical coping methods. In the grand scheme, the goal of raising awareness is to help everyone identify the root causes and impacts of mental illness. In a more informed, caring world, we believe that people can build greater empathy with one another and an enhanced desire to see positive transformation for those who are suffering.
By dedicating our effort to mental health awareness, Maryvale joins a growing national movement to clarify how mental illness impacts individuals, families, and communities. We can also help reduce the stigmas that all too many people with mental illnesses face by building broader awareness. Creating a more familiar set of practices and language around mental health benefits those who are suffering as well as everyone they meet or closely interact with. All too often, mental instability is met with dismissiveness, fear, or ignorance. When family members and authorities lack a basic understanding of how mental illness works, whom it affects, and how to respond to acute issues, people with mental illnesses face risks that could easily be avoided. As an educational center and community that values prevention, the team at Maryvale urgently feels that everyone deserves a clearer understanding of how mental illnesses work so that those who are suffering the most can feel supported and cared for.
Mental Illness is More Prevalent Than You Might Think
More often than not, mental illnesses lack the cut-and-dry symptoms that people so often associate with being sick, unstable, or clinically unwell. Prevalent mental conditions such as depression come with symptoms that feel highly relatable to most people, such as ongoing sadness, fluctuating moods, or a desire to be alone. Depending on one’s own personal circumstances, these feelings are likely to affect most people at some point in their lives, whether or not they are deemed mentally ill in a clinical environment.
According to the American Counseling Association, roughly 1 in 5 Americans deal with mental illness at some point in their life. This means that, in all likelihood, everyone has come across a friend, family member, colleague, or acquaintance who is working through a mental illness. Mental illness affects children and adults; however, children are less likely to receive the treatment they need. Most mental health issues will appear in children before their teenage years. Early recognition and treatment can have a significant developmental impact and allow for more positive growth and maturation.
Not only is mental illness widespread – it is often unnoticed or utterly invisible to other people. Many high functioning individuals cope with mental health disorders in private. In plenty of cases, mental illness does not prevent a person from staying motivated, completing tasks, and delivering on their commitments. However, depending on the nature and severity of a mental health disorder, some people may lose traction on their responsibilities or find it challenging to keep up with others’ expectations of them. In times like these, it is all the more important for relatives and loved ones to express compassion, love, and hope to build a network of support around those who need it. Seeing ourselves in the pain, worry, and difficulties of others is the key to building resilience and care in families, communities, schools, workplaces, and more.
If someone you know has a mental illness, your gestures of care and help can make a tremendous difference. Simply by being tapped into what a person needs, you can be proactive in checking in with them, recognize what might trigger problems for them, and treat them with the respect they deserve.
Mental Health In And Beyond The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled an unprecedented surge in mental health disturbances for people of all ages. Not only have people had to deal with the fear and anxiety of contracting the virus – issues of job loss, grief over lost loved ones, and the immense stress that comes with isolation have burdened countless individuals over the past year. As we look toward a post-pandemic future, there has never been a more appropriate time for everyone to cultivate empathy and awareness for those who are suffering. As children begin returning to school, it is anticipated that we see a significant increase in mental health issues being identified as a result of the pandemic and its effects. The massive changes our culture and society need to process will continue to affect all of us – not just people with mental illnesses. Our collective quality of life is at stake in these times. For these reasons, showing extra care and support to those with mental health difficulties is more critical than ever.
Tools For Coping & Prevention
At Maryvale, our approach to mental health considers a young person’s background, sources of trauma, and the life circumstances in which they’re growing up. Through our early education programs and our community-based services alike, we believe in promoting positive growth and well-being among children, young people, and their families.
While some mental health disorders are inherited, many issues are rooted in (or worsened by) a person’s lived experience. Identifying the risk factors in a person’s life and the severity and frequency of abusive or traumatic experiences is essential in building the conditions they need for recovery. In a clinical environment, treatment will look different for each person, often balancing therapy, medication and forming an extended support network. However, anyone can assist those in need as they cope through their experience and work to prevent ongoing mental instability.
Supportive prevention could mean encouraging someone to find safe, healthy outlets for their feelings. Journaling, creative activities like drawing or playing musical instruments, and talking openly with people in groups are all beneficial outlets. Feelings of anger or frustration can sometimes be better dealt with through physical exercise or group sports. Another great way to help someone in need is to offer a fresh perspective or new way of looking at a problem that gets them out of trapped thinking. Help them to see things from a broader point of view to expand upon rigid cognitive patterns. For an individual that is ashamed or fearful of their mental health condition, encourage them to be gentle with themselves. Self-acceptance and self-love empower people to feel strong in the face of stigmas and to confront social fears.
Mental health awareness is a social responsibility and an opportunity for everyone to stand as allies and caretakers when people need support. We hope you’ll join us throughout May and beyond to keep the conversation around mental health and resilience alive.
